If you’re not up to speed on LED bulbs, the time to get smart is now. Light-emitting diode bulbs are set to become household words in the U.S. and much of Western Europe – and soon will be in China and other countries – as competition heats up below the $10 (U.S.) price point for 40- and 60-watt equivalent standard lamp bulbs.
The race in many countries to meet the growing interest in LEDs could feature increasingly lower prices as manufacturers active in the U.S. team with retailers such as Home Depot, Staples, Wal-Mart and Ikea to maximize their market share. That’s a game-changing shift in the residential market, which has been slower to take shape than many analysts predicted. The last half of 2013 in the U.S. demonstrates consumers there are waking up to the advantages of LEDs.